Who You Are
by Riri Goei
Summary: A new girl arrives at McKinley High. She is sassy and rude, but only Ryder Lynn can see that she is hiding a secret. What IS she hiding? Can Ryder find out? And will she bring new troubles to the New Directions? A little bit of Ryley and Jarley. I do not own Glee.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

It is finally spring time at Lima, Ohio, and McKinley High School is buzzing with excitement as the season warms and the flowers bloom. School just ended and the hallway is crowded, filled with ponytailed Cheerios, jocks in their red-and-white basketball jackets, nerds, Goths, and what-nots.

A certain Ryder Lynn is seen shoving a couple of textbooks into his bag and closing his locker shut. He looks around, and his face brightens as he spots two familiar faces in the sea of high school dwellers.

"Yo, Marley, Jake!" he calls up, and the couple walking hand-in-hand look up. Marley waves and Jake nods in a tight-faced expression.

"I'm so ready for Glee club today," Marley says excitedly as she grips Jake's hand tightly. "It's assignment day and I'm always so nervous whenever our assignments are going to be announced."

"I hope it's not something as silly as dressing up as superheroes again," Jake murmurs, recalling the horrible week at Glee club when he had to use a silly superhero costume.

"Or diva week," Ryder points out. "The boys were pretty much tactless that time – except for Blaine."

"What? Come on, diva week was super fun!" Marley says.

Ryder and Jake are about to say otherwise when they meet up with Blaine, Tina, Artie, and the rest of the Glee gang in front of the choir room. Mr. Schuester is following behind. He signals for everyone to come inside.

Jake is the first one to come in, and the first one to spot the visitor.

"Whoa," he says, frowning. "Uh, Mr. Schue? Why is there an Asian midget in the choir room?"

There is, in fact, a small Asian girl sitting in the middle of the seats reserved for the Glee club members. She has long, dark hair that reaches her shoulders, bright, brown eyes, and rosy cheeks. She blushes when Jake appears, but then her eyes flare up dangerously at his insult.

"Excuse me, Asian midget?" she says, standing up and pointing a finger accusingly at Jake. "Hold up, hold up._ No one_ calls me an Asian midget. Say that to my face again and I'll make you cry home to Mommy, you sorry ass, pathetic crop-cut loser."

There are a series of "oooh"s from the other guys as Jake stares at the girl, stunned at her fiery temper. He's about to say something nasty back at her when Marley tugs at his arm and Mr. Schue orders everyone to sit down.

"All right, guys, I think we all know that we have a special visitor today," Mr. Schue smiles at the girl, who immediately moves to stand next to him. She is still glaring at Jake, who glares back at her. "Everyone, this is Gina Halim. She's a transfer student from Indonesia, and her family is just getting settled at Lima, so I expect you all to give her a warm welcome."

Everyone except Jake clap their hands. Sam even gives a little cheer from the back seat.

"Now, I believe that Gina has a debut performance for us today?" Mr. Schue smiles at Gina.

Gina smiles nicely at Mr. Schuester before her cocky expression returns. "Back in Indonesia, the show choir group at my school performed all the time. I was their lead singer, and their MVP. So you should all be grateful that you have me as an additional member that will lead you all to victory in the upcoming Regionals championship."

"It's like a whole new Rachel Berry, all over again," Artie whispers to Tina, who unhappily nods her agreement.

Gina brings out a small CD player she had put behind the piano and clicks on a button. The cheerful, upbeat music to the song _Rockin' Robin_ by Bobby Day starts playing.

_He rocks in the treetops all day long, hoppin' and a-boppin' and a-singin' his song,_

_All the little birds on Jaybird street, love to hear the robin go,_

_Tweet, tweet, tweet, rockin' robin… rockin' robin.._

The petite girl dances along playfully to the tune, her wavy dark hair flying around her face as she twirls and turns like a happy little bird. She is small and agile, and a pretty good dancer. Her steps seem so light as she hops this way and that. She is not a bad singer, too. Overall, she seems like a talented performer.

_Go, rockin' robin, cause we're really gonna rock tonight…._

She holds a long note at the end of the song, and does the infamous wolf whistle before raising her arms high in the air. The Glee clubbers are on their feet, clapping and cheering and whistling at the breathtaking performance. It is only day one, and Gina Halim has received a standing O.

"That was amazing, Gina!" Mr. Schuester beams at her as he gets up from his seat. "Welcome to the team! You would definitely help us win Regionals. Let's give it all up for Gina!"

While everyone claps one more time, Gina's eyes find Jake's. "What's your name?" she asks, nudging her chin towards him.

"Jake," he answers, surprised and annoyed at the same time by her cockiness.

"Jake," she repeats. "Let me get two things straight for you. A, I will personally chop down anyone who dares to say a single word of insult at me and B, I'm a nasty bitch, so I would stay out of my way if I were you, unless you want to get smacked down right in the face. Got that?"

With that, she sits back down, ignoring Jake's wild stares of disbelief. The whole room goes silent as Gina's words ring through their heads. Only Ryder, sitting right behind Jake, watches Gina with a confused look. Slowly, quietly, he frowns, nodding to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter is up… **** thanks to the review and follow! **

**Why do you think Ryder frowned at Gina during the first day of Glee club?**

CHAPTER TWO

The next day, the Glee clubbers are still discussing their newest member. Jake is still pretty much unhappy with her, swearing at her and giving her dirty looks whenever they pass in the hallway. Only Marley's soothing touches are able to calm him down.

It's sixth period, and Marley and Ryder are walking together to class. Jake is going to play hookie today, and Marley is complaining to Ryder about her boyfriend's bad habit when they spot Gina Halim standing by her locker.

She is staring at the pictures on her locker, and there is a sad, lonely look on her face. Marley is about to go up and talk to her when two girls from the Cheerios suddenly come up and splash two glasses of red slushies at her face.

The girls crack up and high-five each other as they run away. "Bet you didn't have slushies in Indonesia, you Asian midget freak!" One of them cries as they continue laughing.

"Oh my goodness," Marley says, rushing to Gina's aid. "Gina, are you okay?"

But Gina isn't listening. She is wiping slushies away from her eyes, then her face seems to glow red with anger. She cries out furiously and is about to charge the two Cheerios when Ryder grabs hold of her waist. She struggles and tries to kick him away, but the muscular, bigger guy has had a firm grip on her. With difficulty and sticky slushies spraying everywhere, Ryder drags the complaining Gina to the nearest girls' bathroom.

Once the three of them are inside, Ryder lets Gina go and hurriedly blocks the door.

"You're not going anywhere," he warns, crossing his big, long arms over the door.

"Get me out of here, right now," Gina snarls, looking even more dangerous with red slushies dripping off her face. "I need to teach those two a lesson. Didn't you hear what I say in Glee club? No one messes with me, and this is the time when I personally chop – them – down!"

"That's not how it works around here," Ryder says. "You won't get anything by beating them up. You'll only get detention, and how's that going to work out for your first week of school?"

"At least let's get you cleaned up first," Marley says, grabbing tissues to wipe Gina's face.

"I don't need your help," Gina protests, but then some of the slushies fall into her eyes and she winces in pain.

"I've been slushied before too, and I know how much it stings," Marley says, gently leading Gina to the sink. She runs the tap and helps Gina wash off the red liquid off her face. "It'll wear off after ten minutes or so, but until then it's going to be really, really cold."

"Stupid slushies," Gina murmurs under her breath. "I didn't come here for _this_."

"Nobody does," Marley says soothingly. "But I guess you can't always get what you want, right?" She smiles as she wipes the rest of the slushie off of Gina's eyes. "There, you'll be fine now. Do you have any spare clothes? Jackets or hoodies you can change to?"

When Gina shakes her head, Marley says, "I have an extra shirt in my locker. You can borrow it for today. I think we have the same size."

Gina is about to refuse when Marley convinces her how uncomfortable it would be to spend the rest of the day with a slushie-stained shirt. "Been there before," she reminds her. In the end, Gina relents.

Ryder finally steps aside from the bathroom door and lets them pass. He gives Gina a weird look, one she returns with a glare. Marley doesn't notice the not-so-friendly exchange between the two, and happily leads Gina to her locker.

Five minutes later, Gina is already stuffing her slushie-stained shirt into her bag, promising herself that she would pay Marley back in some kind of way.

**Looks like Gina and Marley are off to a good start! Do you think they can be friends?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for the reviews and favorites! **** Makes me very excited! Here's chapter three.**

Early the next day, Gina spots Marley in front of her locker, talking and laughing with Jake. Gina nervously comes up to her and hands Marley her shirt back. "Washed and pressed," she says. "Thank you. I owe you."

"Oh, don't mention it," Marley says, taking the shirt back from Gina. Jake watches her with narrowed eyes, clearly still unhappy with their encounter on Monday. "Jake and I are just going to discuss songs for Glee club today. What do you think of this week's assignment? Isn't it great?"

This week's assignment for Glee club is "confidence." Apparently, Mr. Schuester wants to give his students a little boost of self-esteem before the upcoming Regionals competition. Brittany was quick to decide and had performed a powerful rendition of Britney Spears'_ Circus_. She even brought her own whip to the choir room, much to Kitty's dislike for the familiarity with her Femme Fatale prop during superhero week. According to Marley, either Blaine, Tina, or Unique is going to do a performance today, and the three of them bound to make spectacular performances.

"You should _not_ miss Glee club today," Marley is saying with a broad smile on her face. Jake remains silent throughout the conversation, looking away from Gina uncomfortably. Gina watches Jake and Marley's intertwined hands in thoughtful silence.

Marley is just going to blabber about Blaine's amazing performance at Diva week when Ryder appears. "What's up, dudes?" he grins at Jake and Marley. He and Jake high-five while Marley's eyes seem to twinkle at the sight of him.

When Ryder's eyes land on Gina, he goes a little rigid. He nods curtly, and Gina nods back.

"I was just telling Gina about everyone's performances during Diva week," Marley explains to Ryder. "I mean, it's a little like this week's assignment, right? Diva equals confidence."

"Yeah, yeah, totally," Ryder agrees, all the while never taking his eyes off of Gina's face. Gina shrugs and looks away, blushing a little.

"Let's get to class," Marley says excitedly, and pulls Gina away from the two bros. Gina gives Jake and Ryder one last look before disappearing around the corner with a very enthusiastic Marley.

"Dude, that girl's giving me the creeps," Jake murmurs as he and Ryder make their way to class. "I swear, she won't stop staring at me. Really? One insult and she's planning to kill me a hundred times?"

Ryder doesn't say anything for a moment. "Maybe not kill _you_," he says, more to himself than to Jake.

Jake gives him a sideway look. "What do you mean?" he stops Ryder. "Dude, you know something I don't, do you?"

Ryder shrugs. "Maybe," he admits. "But I'm not sure yet. So I'm not going to say anything to you."

Jake groans. "Come on, man," he says. "What is it? Spill it out."

Ryder shakes his head and walks away with a smile. "Later, dude," he says teasingly, and runs off to class, leaving Jake feeling even more annoyed than he already was.

**Uh-oh! Ryder is being all mysterious! What secret of Gina's could he possibly know?**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm not very good at making long, where-in-the-world-did-it-come-from insults that are usually on Glee, but I hope the insults I'd made up in this chapter are sarcastic enough, haha. I wish Gina could talk like Santana, though it's a far cry.**

CHAPTER FOUR

Glee club is dismissed for the day. Everyone walks away in groups; the seniors, discussing their upcoming performances; the newbies – Jake, Marley, Kitty, and Unique – talking about today's performance. Only Gina is seen walking alone, keeping her eyes on the floor.

She is wondering about what Marley and Jake would sing on Glee club tomorrow when she feels a tap on her shoulder.

She turns around to see herself face-to-face with Ryder Lynn.

Gina frowns immediately. "What?"

"Can I, um, talk to you?" he says awkwardly.

"You're talking to me now," Gina says.

Ryder groans. "I swear, you can be quite unbelievable," he says. "Just… a quick word? I want to ask you something."

"A quick word, Elmo face. Spill it out before I change my mind."

"Elmo face?" Ryder repeats in disbelief.

"I said spill it out."

Ryder shakes his head, giving a little smile. "Dude, I don't know if this works in Indonesia, but man, your attitude's not going to get you anywhere," he says. "Especially with Jake."

At this, Gina freezes. "What do you mean?" she asks cautiously.

Ryder knows he's hit the right spot. "Look, it's hard for me to understand people's emotions because my brain kind of works differently, but there are two expressions in the human face that I know well enough to identify each time I see them." He raises two fingers. "A, when someone is pissed off, and B, when someone is in love."

Gina starts to blush, hard. Ryder watches her expression with some kind of amusement. He's right. He's been right all these times!

"Look, Clark King Kong Kent, I don't know why you're making wild accusations about me falling for the Pucker-whore when I have only known him for three days, but I'm giving you a warning." Gina threatens.

Ryder chuckles. "You're not going to do anything to me," he says. "You can't. I'm like, twenty pounds bigger than you. Besides, you've known Jake for more than three days. You've been in this school for over a month, haven't you?"

Gina turns silent again. All expression of anger disappears from her face. She stares up at Ryder curiously. "Do you have a psycho third eye or something?" she wonders out loud.

"No, at least, I don't think so, but I'm just smart enough to notice you the moment I saw you at the choir room," Ryder says. "I've seen you around. You're even in some of my classes. I remember you, Gina. You were that quiet girl sitting at the back row of my History class, the one with the red face whenever someone calls Jake's name." He grins. "Am I right?"

Gina shrugs, still not going to give up her defense. "I don't have any feelings for Pucker-whore," she says. "He's just an idiot, like you."

"Dude, I know," he says. "That look on your eyes whenever you see him, the way you seem to blush and tremble whenever he's near. I know that look, man. The way you look at Jake, it's the way I've been staring at Marley for the past seven months."

Gina stares into Ryder's deep eyes for a long moment. Those eyes seem sincere and kind. They're kind of beautiful, too. Ryder does have a certain charm coming off him. He's like that guy in the background you don't really notice until he says something that sweeps you off your feet.

Finally, she sighs. "Fine, I'll give you that, Elmo face," she says. "Yes, I'm pathetically crushing on Jake Puckerman. Happy?"

Ryder grins again. "Quite," he says. "I just don't understand, why the attitude, though?"

Gina crosses her arms in front of her chest. "You don't get to have all the answers in one shot, Elmo," she says, with a little smirk on her face. "You'll just have to do your homework again."

Ryder lets out a laugh. "Fine, fine, I'll dig in a little deeper into your precious secret life," he says. "In the mean time, I have an idea."

Gina raises her eyebrow in question.

Ryder stretches out his hand to her.

"Come and do a duet with me."

**So… one secret revealed! Is there anything else Gina is hiding…?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! Thanks again for the kind words on the reviews. Here's chapter five. I've always wondered what Ryder's house would be like.**

CHAPTER FIVE

_Knock, knock_.

"Hey, there you are," Ryder grins as he opens the door. Gina Halim steps into the Lynns' living room with fidgeting hands. Ryder notices and immediately says, "Stop fidgeting. No one here's going to eat you."

Gina shoots him an angry look, but the edges of her lips are curled into a smile. She had agreed to Ryder's invitation to do a duet with him, but had insisted on coming to Ryder's house to practice. "My house is still a complete mess," she reasoned. "We haven't really unpacked everything."

Ryder leads her up to his bedroom on the second floor. "It's a bit messy," he warns as he opens his bedroom door. "I mean, you know, the typical boy's room, but I hope you don't mind –"

"A _bit_ messy?" Gina repeats, her eyes widening with disbelief as she takes in the sight in front of her. Ryder's room is a compilation of dirty clothes, empty plates, scattered papers, and tangled wires. Everywhere she looks, she can see torn or wet paper, a jacket or t-shirt, empty Coke bottles, and broken headsets lying around. There is a half-eaten, grilled cheese sandwich lying on the bed.

"You've got to be kidding me," Gina says. "Did Godzilla just storm by this place?"

"Ha ha, very funny," Ryder says, pouting. He quickly closes the bedroom door. "I tried cleaning it up, you know, since you're coming and all. Have a little sympathy."

"If by 'cleaning it up' you mean shoving your dirty socks under the bed, then no, I won't give you any credit," Gina says, giggling to herself. "So where are we supposed to practice, macho man?"

"The garden," Ryder suggests. "It's really pretty, and my Mom takes really good care of it, so I think you'll like it." He jumps down several stairs at once, and lands on the bottom a second later. When Gina yells at him to wait up, he just laughs and says, "Try to keep up, slow poke!"

"We should choose songs," Ryder says. They are both in the garden now, sitting down on a small wooden bench, surrounded with colorful flowers and a towering apple tree. An old tire is hung on one of the apple tree's muscular branches. "So the theme is confidence. What song makes you feel confident?"

Gina shrugs. "I haven't really given it much thought," she admits. "Maybe some of Kelly Clarkson's? Or a few of Madonna's, if you want to go all legendary. _Hung Up _used to make me feel really good about myself, and it got me through a really messed up relationship."

"Nu-uh, not _Hung Up_. Tina sang that during Diva week and trust me, you would be making a new enemy if you ever sing that on Glee club." Ryder is silent for a moment. "What are you most confident of about yourself? We can start with that."

Gina blushes as she goes silent. She finds that she can't answer this question. "I don't know," she finally admits.

"Aw, come on," Ryder prompts. "Where is the snarky girl who tells everyone to lay off her? That's confidence, right?"

"Of course that's confidence," Gina says, taking a deep breath and trying to look tough.

"So, what, you're confident about your attitude?" Ryder says, trying to figure this weird new girl out. "Or, maybe, you're confident about who you are?"

Gina sighs and shakes her head. "I'm not," she says, and she stares off into space for a minute or two. Ryder doesn't know what to say to this new attitude, so he just keeps to himself. "I feel confident when I'm performing," she finally says. "Singing and dancing and hopping around like when I did _Rockin' Robin_? Best moments of my life." She smiles at the memory, and Ryder smiles with her.

"I think I've figured out one more thing about yourself," Ryder says, looking at her right in the eye. "You're confident about your _talent_. You know you're talented, and when you let other people know that you are, that's when you show true confidence."

Gina stares at him as if he had grown two heads. But then, she explodes into laughter. "What are you, Dr. Phil or something?" she grins. "Ryder Lynn, I still believe that you have a psychic third eye hidden somewhere underneath that Bieber haircut of yours."

"Not sure if that's a compliment, but, thank you," Ryder says. "Listen, so we need a song that showcases how amazing of a performer you really are. You're a good dancer, right?"

Gina blushes, hard. "I don't know," she says quietly.

"You are," Ryder insists. "I saw you, remember? You killed it during _Rockin' Robin_. We need an upbeat song that can make you feel good about yourself." He thinks for a moment before smiling widely. "I think I know a good song."

**What song do you think they're going to perform? **** Any guesses?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, so in this chapter Gina and Ryder are going to do their duet. Try to find and play the song while you read their duet scene! I have these dance moves in my mind, and I swear their performance would be a lot cooler if it was onscreen. Anyways, try to listen to the song so you'd get the hyped, energetic feeling while reading this chapter.**

CHAPTER SIX

It is dark and cold behind the auditorium. The black curtain that shields the stage from Gina's view sways gently to the blow of the air conditioner. The polished floor feels cold underneath her feet.

"Everyone's settled," Ryder suddenly appears behind her, smiling widely. "We're ready to go." He is about to jog to the stage when he notices Gina's rigid posture. "Hey, you okay?" he asks.

"I'm fine," Gina snaps. Ryder is going to back off when she finally breaks down. "What if they hate this performance? What if they think I suck?" Gina spins around to face Ryder. Somehow, with him, she feels like she can confess to anything. She can put on her snarky attitude and scare everyone away, but with Ryder, she just feels like a lost little girl. She doesn't mind admitting to him that she's scared. That she's not as confident as she looks, or as sassy as she wishes to be. With Ryder, she's just plain, old Gina.

"They won't," Ryder reassures her. "I'll tell you what's going to happen. We're going to give a kick-ass performance, and we're going to sweep them off their feet, and they're going to give you your second standing O in a week." He grins. "How does that sound?"

"Amazing," Gina breathes with a tiny smile. "Okay. I guess that's good."

"I'm up first, so I'm going to tell the band to start. Then we're off, okay?" Ryder pats her shoulders. "You'll be fine. Put on your cocky face."

Gina laughs as she tries to put on her 'cocky face.' Ryder leaves her backstage still smiling at herself.

Upbeat music flows from the band in the background. Several green lasers, like the one Santana Lopez and David Martinez used in their performance of _La Isla Bonita_, blare to life and fill the stage.

Ryder walks in the stage, dressed in black shirt and pants. He taps his foot to the beat before breaking into the song.

_So we back in the club, with that body rockin from_

_Side to side, side, side to side,_

_Thank God the week is done, I feel like a zombie_

_Going back to life, back, back to life_

Gina's voice breaks in as she appears from the left side of the stage, also dressed in black shirt and pants.

_Hands up, and suddenly, we all had our hands up,_

_No control of my body_

The two of them meets in the middle of the stage. They exchange a smile as they break into the chorus.

_Cause baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again_

_Yeah baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again_

_So dance, dance, like it's the last, last night of your life, life_

The two of them dance in perfect harmony. Gina with her swift and agile movements, Ryder with his powerful dance moves. Ryder twirls Gina around and catches her in his arms. They dance to the beat, breaking, turning around, twirling on the stage. The music of Usher and Pitbull's _DJ Got Us Falling In Love_ keeps on playing. The Glee clubbers cheer and put their hands up as they dance to the beat along with Ryder and Gina.

In the middle of the song, Ryder leaves the stage, and Gina surprises everyone by rapping Pitbull's part on her own.

_Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil,_

_Get it baby? I hope you catch that Latino,_

_And that's how we roll,_

_My life is a movie and you just TiVoed_

Ryder jumps in for the last two choruses, reappearing behind Gina and taking her hands so she can twirl around. They dance the last two choruses together, completing each others' moves, very much in synch with each other.

When the song finally ends, the two of them are panting and drenched in sweat. The Glee clubbers, however, are excited and on their feet again. Gina can't believe her eyes. Her second standing O, and it's only been her second week on Glee! She laughs as she hugs Ryder.

"Wow, that was an _amazing_ performance!" Mr. Schue says, standing up as well. "Ryder, Gina, what inspired the performance?"

"Well, the theme of the week is confidence, and this song makes us feel confident about our dancing abilities. They're not that great, but we thought it might be, you know, a fun song. We both like it, and it's a really cool song." Ryder explains.

"Well, I'm glad you chose that song, because it worked for both of you," Mr. Schue says. "Well done! Now, who's next?"

Gina's eyes twinkle as she turns to Ryder. "Thank you," she says, grinning broadly.

"Nah, you were awesome," Ryder says, and they hug again.

"No, seriously," Gina whispers. "Thank you, Ryder."

Ryder laughs. "Don't mention it, man. We should do this again sometime."

"Definitely."

**Looks like Gina is starting to fit in, thanks to Ryder! **

**What do you think of the song and performance? **** Should they have performed something else?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Introducing the Kitty cat! I've always had a special interest in Kitty and her ingenious insults. I know my Kitty doesn't do the real Kitty justice, but I just have to put her in!**

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Gina!"

Gina turns around and finds Marley beaming at her. Jake trails along behind her, and just the sight of him is enough to make Gina blush.

"You were amazing yesterday!" Marley grins. "You are so talented! It was amazing, the whole thing, just… amazing. Ryder too. Where is he today? You both did such a wonderful job on the duet!"

"Thanks, Marley," Gina says, feeling a little bubbly inside. Marley is like this ray of sunshine that makes people can't help but smile whenever she's around. Marley is truly a sweet, kind, and caring person, and Gina can't help but feel guilty whenever she remembers that she has a crush on her _boyfriend_.

"Um, you, um, did great," Jake says awkwardly, and Gina's heart beats faster. "It was… great."

"Thanks, Jake," is all Gina can muster out of her pathetic self.

"You should do another performance at Glee club, ASAP," Marley says. "I can't wait to see you perform again!"

"Looks like someone is enjoying her newly found glory," a sarcastic voice suddenly drops in. Marley and Jake part to make way for Kitty, in her blond ponytail, full Cheerios costume, and manicured hands on her slender hips. She has that smirk on, the one she uses whenever she wants to abuse someone verbally – the one she has on her face almost all the time. "I was wondering when you will finally come out of the closet, what with you being the lead singer of your anonymous choir group back in China."

"Leave her alone, Kitty," Ryder suddenly appears next to Gina. He glares at Kitty, who raises her eyebrows at him. "You've done enough damage to everyone on Glee club. Gina doesn't need your friendly welcome."

"Typical Bieber-hair, defending the weak, the lame, and… the small. Sweet heavens, don't they feed you bamboo sticks in China at all? I'm pretty sure a baby panda has a bigger ass than you do. Have you ever heard of steroids?"

"Kitty, enough!" Ryder scolds. "Don't you dare intimidate anyone in this school anymore! Marley was enough! Come on, Gina, let's get out of here."

To everyone's surprise, Gina smiles. She leans on her locker, staring at Kitty with amusement. This confuses Kitty for a second, who frowns and makes a face.

"I was wondering when the bitch of McKinley would finally notice me," she says coolly. "I mean, when you've attracted Kitty Wilde's attention, you've got to be pretty special, right?" Her smile grows bigger. "Ryder had warned me about you, Kitty. You're just a jealous little bitch who can't admit that some people are just better than you. You pretend to be mean but all you are is just an attention whore. So come on, throw me your best insults. I'm all ears." She steps closer to Kitty who, in surprise, staggers back. "Bitch to bitch. Let's see who breaks first."

Kitty is intimidated, Gina can see it in her eyes. But Kitty isn't Kitty if she backs down without a fight. She narrows her eyes, and her stare shoots daggers. "I'm leaving you with a warning, Panda Girl," she says, her voice smooth and dangerous. "_Nobody_ messes with the Kitty Cat. You have made the wrong move, _newbie_."

Gina lets out a tiny laugh. "That would be _my _line," she says. "Run along like a good little kitten, then. Run back to Mama."

"If that's how you want to play it, then let's have it your way," Kitty adds. Her face is just inches from Gina's now, and it seems to glow with anger – and humiliation. "I'm giving you a heads-up. With me, you either play dirty, or you'll suffer an unbelievably painful death, starting – with – your – mind."

"Great, can't wait," Gina says, folding her arms in front of her chest. "I guess I'll see you around, Kitty."

"Femme Fatale," Kitty corrects, giving Gina a murderous look. "It means kill women." With that, she turns around and walks away, hands still on her hips, her ponytails swishing around angrily.

The four of them remains silent for a moment.

"Dude," Ryder is the first to break the silence. He looks dumbstruck. "I think you just drove Kitty away."

"An achievement, right?" Gina asks casually.

"Are you kidding? No one's ever scared Kitty away before!" Jake says, his face breaking into a smile. "What are you, the incredible Hulk or something?"

"I'm not sure comparing me to an angry green mutant monster is a compliment, but thank you," Gina says, trying hard not to blush in front of Jake. "I'm not going to let Kitty win over me. I'll show her that she's messing with the wrong girl."

"Come on guys, don't start fighting," Marley says. "We have to stick together for Regionals, remember? Gina, don't mind Kitty. She can be pretty tolerable after you've spent some time with her."

Jake points at Marley with disbelief. "She's kidding, right?" he asks Ryder.

"Come on," Marley hooks her arm around Gina's. "Let's get to class. I think the bell rings in five minutes. Oh, and I'm inviting you to my house after school today. You _have_ to teach me how to dance like you!"

**Gina vs Kitty is on! Which bitch would break first, then?**

**By the way, I just watched Guilty Pleasures, and Jake's performance of My Prerogative was... Sexy. Haha. He's a really good dancer!**


	8. Chapter 8

**As one of my reviewers pointed, it would be kind of interesting to see Marley go a little bit jealous over Ryder and Gina's relationship. I think this is how Marley would act or say if she was jealous of Ryder and Gina. It wouldn't be too obvious, and she wouldn't even admit to herself that she was jealous. I think.**

CHAPTER EIGHT

"So," Marley plops down to the seat next to Gina. They are sitting in Marley's living room, watching TV and sipping tea. Gina likes the Roses' house – it's small and modest, but very cozy and warm. The cream-colored walls of the living room are filled with pictures of Marley and her mother. Gina can spot several pictures of Marley when she was younger – Marley in her diapers, Marley in a carnival ride, Marley singing on a stage, Marley in a Halloween costume, Marley in the arms of a tall, mustached man with bright, cerulean eyes…

"So what?" Gina takes her eyes off the pictures on the wall and returns her attention back to Marley. She is grinning widely.

"How are you liking McKinley so far?" she asks.

"Um," Gina stares down at her cup. Whenever someone asks her that question, her mind can't help but to think of Jake.

_How are you liking McKinley so far? _

_Oh, great! I like McKinley, because there's this one dude that I really, really like, and he's the reason I come to school at all these days, but you see, his girlfriend is kind of my friend –_

"It's great," she answers instead, still avoiding Marley's eyes. She's so sweet and nice, gosh, how could she do this to Marley? She feels like an absolute monster. "Um, I'm getting used to, you know, school in the US. And… and Glee club's been great."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Marley agrees. "I was new when I tried out for Glee. They made me feel welcomed."

"Mmhm."

A moment of silence passes between them. Gina doesn't really know what to say. Should she ask questions? Should she strike a conversation about something random? The truth is, Gina can't face Marley without thinking of Jake. It's complicated – that's what she always says to herself about this situation. Marley and Jake are connected in her mind – she can't think of one without remembering the other. Whenever she sees Marley at school, she's happy; it's like seeing your best friend coming towards you, and you just have a thousand things to say to her. But then Gina's eyes would travel down, and she would see Marley holding hands with Jake. A couple of times she had seen them kissing outside the choir room. Whenever she sees them together, her stomach ties into a knot and she feels… jealous. Jealous, that it's Marley kissing Jake, and not her. Jealous that his eyes are reserved for Marley only. But at the same time, she likes Marley so much that she feels like an ugly, green monster for hating her in the first place.

_Gosh, what is wrong with you, Gina? Get a grip on yourself, you weirdo!_

"You really are a great singer," Marley says. There she goes again. Being all nice, making it impossible for Gina to resent her. "I think you should try to get a solo for Regionals. I mean, we'd probably be singing three or four songs, and I'm sure Mr. Schue would love to hear you sing us to victory."

Gina shrugs. "I'm new," she points out. "Besides, I hear that you're having the solos for Regionals. You should do it." _I don't want to take something else you love from you_. "You're going to sing with Blaine, aren't you? I think your voices go really great together. Mine doesn't."

"Maybe," Marley says thoughtfully. "But you sounded great with Ryder."

"Oh, thanks."

Marley is silent for a moment. Then, inching closer to Gina, she says, "So… Ryder."

"What about him?" Gina asks.

"You seem to be really close to him," Marley says.

"Yeah," Gina says, smiling to herself. "He's an awesome dude. I can just talk to him about _anything_."

"I see," Marley says quietly. "He's really nice, I agree."

Gina feels like there's something Marley wants to say to her, but she's holding herself back. Gina feels weird and awkward, but she keeps still and doesn't say anything.

"What do you think of Ryder?" Marley asks again.

"Um, I think he's… great? He's a wonderful friend, really talented, and a good dancer too." Gina thinks for a moment. "And he has really nice, big, muscular arms."

"You seem to like him," Marley says, a little too quickly.

"Yeah, of course I do, I –"

"I mean, like him, _like_ him," Marley points out.

Gina goes blank. "Oh," she says then, returning to her senses. "Ohhh, you mean like him _that _way." _Ohh-kay, now I know where this conversation is going_. She clears her throat. "No, um, I mean, no, of course not, I don't see him _that_ way. He's just, just… a friend, you know? A good friend. He's my best friend. I don't see him _that_ way. Absolutely not!"

"Oh," Marley says, nodding to herself. Gina frowns. Is it just her imagination, or does Marley look… relieved? "I thought you… sorry about that. I feel kind of stupid for asking now."

Gina stares at Marley for a long moment, pondering questions in her head. "Marley," she says quietly. "Are you… jealous?"

"What?" Marley says, surprised.

"What? Nothing," Gina says quickly, looking away.

"No! No, I'm not _jealous_," Marley laughs it off. "Of course not, why should I be? I mean, I'm with Jake! And I love Jake! So no, of course I'm not jealous. Ryder's just… my best friend too, and I just wanted to make sure that things are going okay with you two."

"Uh-huh," Gina says, not buying her words at all. She can finally see it now – Marley is jealous with her relationship with Ryder. But she doesn't understand – didn't Marley turn Ryder down for Jake? Ryder had told Gina the whole story the night they practiced their song. Ryder bailed on the last minute because he had to meet with his special eds teacher, and Marley decided to ask Jake out instead. She had made her choice then. Why be jealous now…?

"He's… a really nice guy," Marley continues, rocking back and forth in her seat. "I just… he's one of the best guys around. You should… you should consider him."

Gina gives Marley a sideways glance. Marley is biting her lip and avoiding her eyes. Her cheeks are starting to turn pink. Gina watches her in silence for a moment, deciding what to do or say next. Marley looks like she might be expecting something from Gina. Slowly, Gina realizes that Marley is confused. She's confused about her feelings for Ryder. She chooses Jake over him, but a part of her convinces her that she should be with Ryder. She might not even realize that she feels jealous of Ryder's newly found relationship with Gina. She's in _denial_, denying herself that she still has feelings for Ryder.

_What am I doing? _Gina asks herself. _Oh no, can hanging out with Ryder for too long grow me a psychic third eye on my forehead? Because I think I'm halfway to being the next Dr. Phil._

Gina thinks for a moment. It's no point demanding answers from Marley right now. What she needs is comfort and assurance. Gina needs to say something that Marley wants to hear.

So, Gina shrugs and says, "I'm too busy for boys right now." She puts her mug of tea on the coffee table in front of him. "Still settling in. No boys' drama for me."

Marley lets out a tiny smile then. A relieved and grateful smile.

"I think we should sing something," Marley suggests then, getting to her feet. "We can do some karaoke, or try and find instrumental songs online. _Then_ you can teach me how to dance."

Gina forces a smile. The brightness in Marley's eyes seems to break her heart. "Bring it on, sister."

**That is, I suppose, how one Marley Rose would act if she was ever jealous of Ryder with another girl. Should Gina be with Ryder, then? What would happen if they ever get together? **


	9. Chapter 9

**I think that Ryder's love for Marley is really sweet, so in my story Ryder is still hopelessly in love with Marley. I see Ryder and Gina as best friends who have each other's backs, but well… who knows?**

CHAPTER NINE

It is a brand new week at McKinley. The Glee club has just finished practice for the day, and everyone is heading home. The seniors, huddled in groups, talking about their next performances. The newbies – Marley, Jake, Kitty, and Unique – walking together, discussing about possible song choices for Regionals. Everyone looks tired, and they all seem eager to go home.

Everyone, except Ryder and Gina.

They wait until everyone is out of the choir room before grinning at each other.

"So," Ryder pulls up a chair and sits in front of her.

"So?" Gina raises her eyebrows questioningly.

"Looks like someone was happy on Friday," Ryder teases. "I know I said that the attitude won't work, but hey, I might be wrong, who knows."

"I feel like my cheeks are burning whenever he's around," Gina confesses, grinning and fanning herself with her hands. She is beyond excited. "I mean, I think that was the first time he ever complimented me! And he was friendly, and I was civilized, so… eek!"

"Yeah, yeah, you're happy, I get it," Ryder laughs. "So, what's next? Do another song that'll blow his mind off?"

Gina frowns, thinking for a moment. "I don't know," she admits. "I mean, Ryder, Marley has been such a great friend for me. She helped me with the slushie thing, she's been very welcoming to me, and she's such a sweet and nice person. I went over to her house on Friday, and we just had _tons _of fun! I feel guilty whenever I think of my feelings for Jake. I feel like backstabbing her."

She sighs. She sneaks a glance at Ryder to see his reaction. Gina can't help but wonder if he knew that Marley still has feelings for him. What would he do once he found out? He would probably be ecstatic, but then what? Chase her again, steal her away from Jake, break their friendship and trust? Letting Ryder know would only torture him again. Besides, a part of her doesn't want Ryder to find out about Marley's jealousy. It's a secret she intends to keep to herself, as long as possible.

_Is it wrong for me to act like this? _She wonders.

"Marley is… perfect. She's beautiful, she's kind and friendly and amazing… and she's everything I've always wanted to be." Gina shrugs. "How can I ever compete with her?"

Ryder bites his lip. "I know what you mean," he says slowly. "Marley _is_ a sweet and nice person. You… you can't break a heart as kind as hers. You just look up at that beautiful face and know that you would do anything to keep her smiling…" His voice trails off. Gina waits for him to snap back to reality patiently. "Anyway," he finally says. "Just keep it cool with both of them. Be their friend. Get to know them. Just take things slowly. Everything will fall into place sooner or later."

"Gee, thank you, Oprah," Gina snickers.

"Don't mock me, or I swear I'll scream your dirty little secret at the top of my lungs in front of the whole school," Ryder says with a laugh.

Gina laughs too. "And I swear I'll kick your ass for it," she says. She lets out a tiny sigh. "Damn you, Jake Puckerman. Damn you, heartbreaker."

"Yeah," Ryder says quietly. "Damn you."

**Things are going well with Gina and Jake… what about Marley then?**


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Gina has just arrived home, daydreaming about Jake, when her phone buzzes.

"Hello?"

"Yo, Gina?"

Her heart leaps out of her chest. _It's Jake_! She feels like shouting out of happiness. She tries hard to keep her voice in control. "Jake?"

"Yeah, it's me," he says, sounding a little nervous.

"You have my number?" Gina asks, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

"Nah, I got it from Marley," he says. "So, listen, you busy tonight?"

Gina's heart does a somersault. "Depends," she says, trying to keep calm, although she feels like running around her room in ecstasy. "Why do you ask?"

"There's this karaoke night at Breadstix tonight," he says, and Gina's heart beats twice as fast. Is this really happening? Is this what she thinks this is? Is Jake Puckerman _finally_ asking her out? "Marley wanted to invite you, but she's busy helping out her Mom, so she asked me to call you."

There. He finally dropped the bomb. So he asked her out only because _Marley_ told him to. Gina can't help but feel disappointed. She chews on her lips, pouting and cursing to herself. "What's Breadstix?" she questions, unable to hide the bitterness from her voice.

"This little restaurant near McKinley," Jake explains. "Really cool place, it's not bad. Marley thought it would be good for you to, you know, explore a little bit. How did she put it? 'Go with us, have some fun, make more friends.'" He pauses. "You should come. I mean, it'll be fun."

"Oh," Gina shrugs, considering the offer. At least, if she goes, she'll get to spend some time with Jake, right? And he seems eager for her to come, too… or is it just another thing she makes up in her silly, Puckerman-crazy head? "Who else is coming?"

"Uh, not much, probably just me, Marley, Unique, maybe Sugar. The usual." Gina can feel him smiling over the other end. "Kitty won't be there, don't worry. She thinks karaoke and Breadstix are lame."

"I don't care about Kitty," Gina lies. Then she remembers something. "Isn't Ryder going to be there?"

"He's busy with homework," Jake says. "He's a bit behind on his studies, and he still needs to finish this one paper. Said he couldn't come. Anyways, you up for it or not?"

Gina doesn't need to think twice.

"Yeah, just give me the address," she tells him. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

**Breadstix here we come!**

**I've always wanted to come to Breadstix. It looks like a nice place, and the food looks good!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Most of my reviewers say they want to see some Gina and Jake action, so here you go! **** I hope you enjoy this chapter, haha. :D**

CHAPTER ELEVEN

It takes Gina about ten minutes to find Breadstix. When she arrives, Marley, Jake, Unique, and Sugar are already huddled in one table, talking and laughing over drinks and French fries.

"There she is!" Marley waves at her, a big grin on her face. Jake turns around and nods at her. Gina can feel her head spinning. Jake looks gorgeous tonight; he has a dark blue hoodie over a white shirt, black jeans, and white sneakers. Under the yellowish glow of the lamps he looks tidier, more handsome. When he smiles… _wooh, _Gina thinks. _I hope I don't look like a complete idiot right now, because I feel like one_.

"You're just in time," Marley says. "The karaoke's starting in five minutes." She points to the end of the restaurant, where a small, makeshift stage has been set up. There are large speakers on either sides of the stage, a plasma TV, and a large machine with buttons that Gina reckons must be the karaoke machine. There is also a drum set, a keyboard, and a bass guitar, just in case someone decides to do an impromptu performance. A microphone stands in the middle of the stage, gleaming silver under the mini spotlights placed on the ceilings.

"Come on, sit," Marley invites her, and to Gina's excitement, she finds that the only empty seat left is the one right next to Jake. Awkwardly, she sits down. Jake turns to say something to Marley, but it doesn't matter. Gina can smell his perfume; their arms lie so close together, she can feel the heat coming off his skin. His voice sounds clearer, now that she's next to her. She wonders if this is how Marley feels whenever Jake is around. She glances at Jake's hand, lying on the table, twitching as he talks to Marley. Gina feels the sudden urge to reach out and hold it.

"All right, Breadstix!" the boom of a man's voice snaps Gina back into reality. They all turn to face the stage. "Let's get this karaoke started!"

The guests cheer and clap. The MC, a pudgy, bearded man, bellows over the microphone, "Do we have a first volunteer for tonight?"

"Me, me, me!" Sugar leaps to her feet and runs to the stage excitedly. She grabs the microphone from the MC, pushes him away, and says, "I'm going to sing the song _Lollipop_, because I love lollipops and they are sweet and made of sugar, just like me." She turns to the MC and snaps her fingers. "Hit it!"

Reluctantly, the MC reaches for a remote and chooses Sugar's song. As soon as the playful, girly music to _Lollipop_ plays, Sugar starts to sing.

"_Lollipop, lollipop, lolli, lolli, lolli, lolli, lollipop,_

_Lollipop, lolli, lolli, lolli, lolli, lollipop._"

She sings in an off-key note, followed by a bizarre sequence of dancing, tapping, and flailing her arms around. She wriggles this way and that, puts on sexy poses, and sighs occasionally. Gina watches Sugar dance in horror.

"She dances like a strangled, drowned cat," Gina points out, frowning at the horrendous performance. She shakes her head in disbelief. "She makes the funky chicken dance look top class."

Beside her, Jake laughs. "Finally, someone with sense," he says. "I've been telling that to these two for the last year and they tell _me_ to shut up."

"When is this horror going to be over?" Gina whispers.

Jake hands her a straw. "Depends on how fast you can cover her with spitballs." He points the straw at Sugar. "Race you?"

"You are _not_ going to throw spitball at Sugar," Marley scolds, taking both Jake and Gina's straws away. "You are unbelievable!"

"Oh well," Jake sneers at Gina. "Worth the shot."

Gina grins, and the two of them high-five.

After Sugar's disastrous performance is over, silence settles over the entire restaurant. Everyone looks as awkward as her dance moves. "You may clap now," Sugar prompts, and everyone claps reluctantly. Only Marley and Unique seem happy. They are on their feet, clapping and cheering at their friend. Jake and Gina exchange a look, and they roll their eyes.

"All right, thank you for that, um, _glorious_ performance. Now, who will the next volunteer be? And please, no more funky dances for the rest of the night." The MC pleads, eyeing Sugar with unspoken terror.

"Clearly I'm the best dancer in this entire restaurant," Sugar says, smoothing her hair proudly. "No one can top Sugar once she dances."

Jake and Gina give each other meaningful looks.

"No one can top that, huh?" Jake wriggles his eyebrows playfully.

"The best dancer in this entire restaurant?" Gina grins. She leans over to Jake and whisper in his ear. Jake raises his eyebrows. "You sure? You think you're up for that?"

"What is this? Are you underestimating me, Puckerman? Inconceivable! Get your lazy ass off and show me what you got!" Gina laughs, and pulls Jake out of his seat. The two of them jog to the stage. When the MC offers them both microphones, they stop him. "We won't be needing the mikes for this one." Gina says. She turns to the karaoke machine, finds the song she wants, and clicks play.

"_Please don't stop the music!_"

Rihanna's catchy dance tune, _Don't Stop the Music, _starts playing. Both Gina and Jake start swaying to the intro. Then Jake steps forward and takes the first solo.

"_It's getting late, I'm making my way over to my favorite place,_

_I gotta get my body movin', shake the stress away,_

_I wasn't looking for nobody when you looked my way,_

_Possible candidate, yeah"_

He dances as he sings, moving his body to the beat. Gina then joins him in the dance, singing her line as she moves.

"_Do you know what you started? I just came here to party,_

_But now we're rockin' on the dance floor, acting naughty"_

As they enter the chorus, Jake and Gina coordinate their dance moves. They seem to be in sync with each other, knowing how, when, and where to move. Jake takes Gina's hands and they twist each other around the stage before breaking apart and dance individually again. Around the middle of the song, they come closer together and dance hand-in-hand.

"_I wanna take you away, let's escape into the music, _

_DJ let it play"_

As they come closer to the end of the song, their dance intensifies. At one point, Gina jumps towards Jake, who catches her by the waist and turns her around, completing a nearly 360-degree cartwheel. They dance and dance, and for four minutes, the world seems to be entirely their own.

"_Mamase, mamasa, masa, gusa_

_Mamase, mamasa, masa, gusa_

_Please don't stop the music!_"

When the song ends, both Gina and Jake are out of breath. They look exhausted, but the entire audience is on their feet. Marley, Unique, and Sugar are cheering endlessly at their table. Sugar is halfway to standing on the table before Unique stops her and pulls her down.

Jake and Gina look at each other – they have just done magic together. They are drenched in sweat, Gina's hair is all messy, Jake's hoodie is slumping off his shoulder, but they're swelling with pride. Simultaneously, they laugh. Jake pulls Gina into a hug.

"That was _awesome_," Jake says, grinning widely. "Man, _you_'re awesome! I didn't know you could dance like that! I mean, that was _great_!"

This time, Gina doesn't even feel nervous. She just feels… happy. On top of the world. "Right back at you, Puckerman."

The MC strides over to the stage and takes Jake's microphone. "Well, a friendly reminder that this is karaoke night, _NOT_ a dance-off, but well done! Well done! Give it up for our two volunteers! Mr…?"

"Jake," he says. "Jake Puckerman. And this is Gina Halim." He pats her on the back. Gina flinches as she feels his warm hand on her. "My new best friend."

Gina feels like floating to the sky. She is still amongst the clouds as the MC ushers the two of them down the stage so the next volunteer, a half-drunk, middle-aged woman, could take the stage. She is still having a hard time believing what has just happened when Marley rushes to give her a hug.

"Gina, you – are – amazing," she says, squealing with delight. "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, you should definitely dance for Regionals!"

"Yeah," Gina smiles and nods, pretending to listen to the praises she gets from Marley, Unique, and Sugar. But all that she can think of are Jake's words. His compliments, ringing in her head like a bell.

"_Man, you're awesome!_"

"_This is Gina Halim. My new best friend."_

She doesn't think she'll be sleeping tonight.

**What do you think about Jake and Gina's impromptu dance-off? I would love Glee to cover Rihanna's **_**Don't Stop the Music**_**. I think it would be very, **_**very**_** cool. **** Anywaaays… so, Jake and Gina are going good! What do you think will happen next?**


	12. Chapter 12

**This is where things get serious! Remember how much Gina hates being ridiculed in public, and imagine her rage and humiliation while reading this chapter.**

CHAPTER TWELVE

The first thing Gina notices when she opens the door of McKinley High next morning is the stares. Then, the smirks. The mocking smiles, the laughing eyes, the amused whisperings. She thinks at first that there is something embarrassing sticking out of his nose or shoe or face, but once she makes sure that she is clean, she frowns in confusion at all the unwanted attention.

She continues walking through the hallway. Everywhere she looks, people are looking at her. Some look like they don't give a damn, but most, especially the Cheerios, give her degrading looks as if saying, _go back to where you're from, freak. You don't belong here_.

When she finally reaches her locker, she checks her reflection in the mirror. Nothing embarrassing. Nothing funny. She doesn't have too much make up on, her hair is all right, there is nothing wrong with her. Then what? What is really going on?

Artie wheels past and Gina immediately stops him. "Artie," she leans in to whisper to him, "why is everyone acting like I've grown a horn on my head?"

"That's because everyone already knows, Gina," Artie says casually. He doesn't seem to care much about whatever is going on, and Gina feels a kind of relief.

"Know about what?" she asks carefully. Her heart beats wildly. Know… about _what_?

Artie straightens his glasses before answering, "That you like Jake Puckerman. And that you're only friends with Marley because you want to get closer to him."

Gina's jaw drops. She looks around her wildly, sudden panic surging through her. What in the _world_? "Who… what… how…?"

"The rumor spread like wildfire last night," Artie continues. "After Glee practice, the Glee kids got an anonymous text. Whoever sent it said that he knew your deepest secret. Well, then everyone kind of found out, and… it took off from there."

"But… but… but that's not true!" Gina almost yells. "That's a lie! Those are just rumors!"

"Which one is a lie?" Artie questions. "That you like Jake or that you became friends with Marley because of him?"

Gina can't find the strength to answer. She is so angry right now that her face turns red. Her mind goes blank, it races a hundred miles per hour as she tries to process what is happening to her life, her world, and her reputation at McKinley high right now. She is doomed. Done for. She will be the new laughingstock of the school, and her image as the fearless, sassy girl no one could mess with is ruined completely.

They have found her weak spot.

"Everyone kind of thinks you're a backstabber now," Artie says uncomfortably. "I mean, I'm not sure about it myself, I'm team Switzerland all the way, but I think some of the guys like Unique and Sugar think you're the bad guy for screwing Marley up like that."

"I didn't screw her up!" Gina cries desperately. "I don't! I truly like her! Gosh, why don't people just give me a _break_? Use your brains, people! Think!"

"Um… The text also mentioned several other things about you, like you were actually not a choir group leader back in Indonesia, that you were either bulimic or anorexic because you were a – um, I beg your pardon here – midget, and that you were a – beg pardon again here – bitch and whore because you also flirt around with Ryder, when you're only using him –"

Ryder. Gina has finally connected the dots. Ryder is the only one who knows about her feelings for Jake. Only him, and no one else. Not even Mr. Schue or Ms. Pillsburry knew about it, and she is the school counselor. Gina was pretty good at hiding her secret. If no one else knew about it, then the only answer to this question is Ryder.

Gina feels a sharp pang of pain as she processes this information. Ryder had betrayed her. The one friend she thought she could trust, had spread her secret around like cheap flyers, adding information that she couldn't even bring herself to think about. She imagines Ryder's warm, smiling face, and her chest feels heavy. He looks so nice, so kind, that she cannot believe that he could do something like this.

That's it.

Gina storms away, leaving a very confused and awkward Artie alone. She glares at anyone who sneers or giggles at him. She even drives one boy who mocks her with catcalls to the wall. She is angry. No, she is beyond angry. She is furious. She feels like planting her fist on every single face in this crowded hallway.

Halfway across, she comes face-to-face with Marley. They lock eyes for a moment, and then Marley looks away. "What did I ever do to you?" she whispers, her voice faint, sending daggers to Gina's heart. Marley, to her horror, is on the verge of crying. "I thought… I thought we could be friends…" She lets out a tiny sob and walks away.

"Marley, wait!" Gina tries chasing after her, but then she freezes, because Jake has joined her. He glances back at Gina briefly, which causes her heart to leap up to her throat, but then he chooses to wrap his arm around Marley and ignore Gina.

Her knees buckle. Hot, angry tears form behind her eyes, but she bites her tongue to stop herself from crying. No. She will not show weakness again. Not here, not in front of these people. She will be the strong, confident, no-nonsense Gina everyone at McKinley high knows her to be.

But her heart feels hollow, and her head is spinning.

She can't hold it anymore.

**Poor Gina! What do you think will happen to her next?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi, I just want to let you know that I made a mistake on the last chapter. When Artie said the anonymous text came after Glee practice, I meant to say it came "last night". So to make things clear, the text came at night, so after Gina and the rest went to Breadstix. Sorry for the mistake!**

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"YOU!"

Ryder jumps as Gina storms inside his classroom and bangs her hand on his desk. She glares at one student who is sitting in front of the class, and barks an order for her to get out. The kid scrambles out of the classroom, hugging his textbook and pencil to his chest.

"Dude, chill out, what's going on?" Ryder asks innocently, which makes Gina burn even more.

"How could you do this to me?!" she yells at him. "I trusted you! Told you everything! I thought you were my friend but how _could_ you?!"

"Whoa, back up for a second," Ryder gets on his feet. "What are you talking about, Gina? What exactly have I done?"

Gina feels like her head is going to explode. "So you want to play this with me? You want to play the 'I'm innocent and I don't know what is going on' card?" she tries to keep her voice steady, but she is on the verge of shouting.

"I _don't_ know what's going on," Ryder keeps on saying. "What is it? Did I forget something I promised to you? Did I accidentally say something to insult you?"

That's it. Gina can't handle it anymore. "You told the whole school about Jake!" she screeched, trying not to punch him. "You told everyone, _everyone_, especially the Glee kids!"

"What?" Ryder gapes at her. "What the – I didn't, Gina! I didn't say anything, I swear!"

"Liar!" Gina accuses, tears falling down her face now. She hates herself for breaking down in front of him. She is disgusted with herself. "You were the only one who knew, Ryder! No one else does! And all those mean things you said about me on the text, and Marley… oh gosh, how _could_ you do that to Marley? Now she thinks I'm a backstabber and a liar and a fake. She _hates_ me, Ryder! And now Jake will hate me too, and so will everyone else on the Glee club, all – because – of – you!" She lands a punch on Ryder's stomach with every word. Her hands are shaking and her face is burning. Burning with shame, with inexplicable rage.

"What text are you talking about?" Ryder is still completely at lost. He can't believe what Gina is saying now. "Gina, I swear, I have _never_ told anyone about Jake…"

"No use lying now!" Gina screams, shoving him away. "Is that why you weren't at Breadstix yesterday, huh? Did you make up that pathetic excuse of doing homework, when you were actually playing that sick, cheap trick on me? Were you laughing at me when you did it? At how stupid I was?"

"I really _did_ study last night, Gina," Ryder says exasperatedly. "I had a paper to write. It's not even done yet. I'm doing it right now. Please, I didn't make that excuse up."

"I thought we were real friends. I thought you really _liked_ me!"

"I do! What can I do to prove it to you?" Ryder's head is spinning. "Look, you said something about a text? Check my phone. There's nothing there. Nothing!"

"It came from an anonymous number," Gina spat. "It won't be on your stupid phone. You probably used another number."

"If it was anonymous then it could have been anyone!" Ryder says exasperatedly. "And why would I do this to Marley, huh? Why would I hurt her? I _love_ her, Gina! I don't want to see her cry!"

"You were the only one who knew," Gina shakes her head, backing away. "I don't know, I don't know, but you were the only one who could have done it." She brushes some tears away. "Get away from me, Ryder. I don't want to talk to you again. I don't want to see you again. I hate you. I hate you, and I was wrong to trust you. You're nothing but a big fat liar."

"Gina, Gina stop!" Ryder calls out as Gina runs out of the classroom. "Gina! Wait! I didn't _do _anything!" He tries to follow Gina, but that girl is fast. She has disappeared in a second.

Gina is gone.

**Oh no, things are heating up between Ryder and Gina! **

**Did Ryder really betray Gina?**

**P.S. I haven't told this before, but **_**Who You Are**_** is set somewhere after the episodes Feud and before Guilty Pleasures. FYI.**


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

In the hallway, people are snickering at him. Some Cheerios girls are whispering and pointing at him, then they break into giggles.

Ryder doesn't have the simplest clue as to what is going on. He had come to school early and stayed in his classroom to catch up a little bit on his studies – he is left behind a few subchapters now. No one gave him any trouble this morning. He hadn't seen or met anyone from Glee club today – not even Marley, who usually comes early too. He had been quietly sitting on his desk, furiously trying to write an essay about the Industrial Revolution, when suddenly Gina appears and starts shouting at him.

Gina said something about a text. What _text _was she talking about? What exactly is he framed for doing? He has never told anyone about Gina's feelings for Jake. Never. And he would never do that to her. These last few days, Ryder has felt some kind of connection with Gina. She's cooler than he thought she was. After practicing their song at Ryder's house, they sat in the garden with cookies and lemonade and talked for hours. They exchanged favorites, jokes, and stories. Gina told him stories about Indonesia, and Ryder told her stories about McKinley high, his family, and the Glee club. They had opened up a little that night; Ryder confided to her about his dyslexia, and Gina told him how, on her first week of school, she actually considered joining the Cheerios.

After the duet, they grabbed drinks from the vending machines and talked about future duet possibilities. Over the weekend, they had texted each other and shared more hilarious stories. He really liked her as a friend. He couldn't really express his love for Marley to anyone on Glee club, but he could say all he wanted to Gina. He had accepted her as a friend. He had felt comfortable with her. But now, what is this craziness that is going on?

Ryder notices Tina, Blaine, and Brittany walking down the hallway towards him. He stops them and demands an explanation.

"Didn't you get the text too?" Tina asks, confused. "Everyone from Glee got it. Even Mr. Schue."

"I don't know _anything_," Ryder says helplessly. "But Gina thinks I was the one who did it, whatever happened."

Tina sighs and gives Blaine a thoughtful look.

"I think you should just read this," Blaine suggests, taking his phone out of his pocket.

Ryder reads the text on the phone, and immediately his blood freezes. This text clearly states that Gina is in love with Jake Puckerman, and it accuses her of being friends with Marley only to get close to Jake. The text rambles about how Gina doesn't care about Marley and is only taking advantage of her, and several insults about her. Insults that Ryder suspects are nothing but lies. Who dared to do such a cruel thing to Gina?

He hands the phone back to Blaine, and the seniors walk away. Ryder feels numb. He doesn't know what to think. If he talks to Gina now, she would only resent him more. She would probably scream at him again and punch him. But if he doesn't, then how would he set things right with her?

Ryder is still thinking when he sees Kitty strutting towards him, with that impish grin on her face.

"Where's Panda Girl?" she asks in fake concern. "I thought you and Asian midget had grown into Siamese twins these past few days."

A sudden thought strikes Ryder. "Do you know something about this, Kitty?" he narrows his eyes suspiciously.

Kitty flashes him an angelic smile. "Know about what?" she asks sweetly.

"You know what I'm talking about," Ryder snarls. "How did you find out, Kitty? How could you do this to her?"

Kitty cocks her head to the side, amused and enjoying Ryder's anger. "I've told her not to mess with the Kittycat," she says, still with that angelic smile on her face. "Now she's brought out the femme fatale, and this bitch isn't stopping until the bamboo princess is dead."

"How did you find out?" Ryder demands.

"I have my ways," she says.

Ryder shakes his head, disbelief, anger, and sadness written on his flushed face. "Kitty," he whispers, his voice trembling. "How could you? Not only to Gina, but to Marley too."

"She declared war on herself, ostrich-brain," she says, the smile vanishing from her face. She now looks murderous. "She wanted to find out who would break first, bitch to bitch? Well then, I'm only doing her a favor." She smiles again and wiggles her fingers at him. "Toodle-doo, Bieber-hair. See you at Glee club today."

She twirls around, her ponytail brushing Ryder's shoulder. He shoves her away in disgust, wanting nothing but to plant his fist on her face. Maybe choke her to death.

But there is nothing he can do, so he punches the wall instead.


	15. Chapter 15

**40 reviews! I know it's probably considered not much here but to a rookie like me it's gratifying. Thank you for the kind words, guys! Enjoy the next chapter, and please keep reviewing! Haha.**

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The next week is a living hell for Gina.

Wherever she goes, people catcall her and mocks her. They would flash printed pictures of Jake with his lips blown up at her. They would put little Post-its with fake love letters from Jake on her locker. They whisper behind her back, and steer out of her way whenever she comes. They would say things like "beware the backstabber!", and the boys would clear out of her way, saying "watch out here comes the whore!" and every other insult that comes along with it.

She's been miserable. She sits at the back row at classes, trying to ignore Marley, Jake, and Ryder. She has skipped Glee club for days, and she has been avoiding everyone. She has no friends, no one to talk to, no one to confide in. She has no one she can trust anymore.

Sometimes she locks herself in the bathroom and cries. Sometimes she sits on the cold auditorium floor and sings songs to herself. Sometimes she peers into the auditorium when the Glee club is practicing, leaning on the exit door and closing her eyes, singing along quietly to herself. She wishes she could find the courage to step up to that stage and sing along with them. But she can't. She can't handle the fact that all the Glee clubbers probably hate her, thinking of her as a traitor. She once overheard Unique complaining about her to Sugar. Unique, furiously, told Sugar that Gina didn't have a clue on what her backstabbing actions could do to the entire Glee club. If Marley was upset, she wouldn't be in her best condition for Regionals. If this was the case, the Glee club could lose Regionals, and then it would be over for all of them.

"Unique is _not_ going to let anyone bring down my girl," he says. "Glee club _will_ win Regionals. That is why we should nip the bad weed in the bud while we still can."

Gina ran away after that, not wanting to hear the rest of the story.

To the entire McKinley high school, she is a heartless, selfish villain. To the Glee clubbers, she is the pest that needs to be terminated. Permanently.

Nothing can help her feel better. Even a counseling session with Ms. Pillsbury didn't do anything to her. The two of them just sat there, Gina grouching, Ms. Pillsbury trying to keep the spirits up by asking her questions like "have you tried giving them an explanation?" and shoving colorful pamphlets up her nose. When she left she felt like she had wasted an hour of her life.

Sometimes, when she is alone, she wants to pick up her phone and dial Ryder's number. She wants to hear his voice, to hear his horrible jokes and Dr. Phil-ley advice and soothing voice. She misses that kind voice, that twinkling glow in his eyes when he talks to her. But at the last minute she always catches herself and remembers how Ryder had hurt her. He had probably never cared about her in the first place. It was all just an act. Gina laughs at the irony – Ryder said she was a backstabber, when he was the one who backstabbed her in the first place.

She has been avoiding Ryder ever since. Whenever they meet in the hallways she would take a detour or look away, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. But it's hard to do, with all the insults and catcalls and mocking laughter trailing her everywhere. When they have the same class, she sits as far away from him as possible. When he calls or texts her, or even send her messages online, she pretends that she isn't there. What else is there for him to say? How else does he want to break her heart?

And Jake. Jake. There is nothing left to say. She can't face him; she can't look him in the eye. She's so ashamed of herself that she feels like collapsing to the floor whenever they meet. Marley, too, kills her with her pitiful stares at Gina. Marley offers her a bleak smile from time to time – trying to be nice, as usual, Gina suspects – but that only makes her feel even guiltier. She wants to explain to Marley, but how could she? She's just a coward who hides behind her attitude. She doesn't have enough guts to even talk to Marley.

It has been almost two weeks now, and Gina is still hurting. She still has watery eyes whenever she thinks of Ryder. She misses having a friend. She wishes she was back in Indonesia, where she had real friends, real people who liked to be with her, who cared for her and was concerned for her…

"Hey,"

Her heart leaps out of her chest. She spins around and finds Jake Puckerman looking at her.

She forgets how to breathe for a moment. She thinks she might be nailed to the spot. Her hands are shaking, and she notices sweat dribbling off her face. Gosh, she looks embarrassing. Her hair is messy. Her clothes are all wrong. Her eyes are puffy from crying from the bathroom. Her skin is dry and cracked and –

"Um…" Jake looks uncomfortable, shrugging and shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Say something, please? I don't… you look like I just killed you or something."

Gina takes a deep, long breath. "Did you just… _hey_ me?" she manages to blubber out. Her voice is too high pitched. Her tone sounded too cocky, too arrogant. He might think –

"Yeah," Jake says awkwardly. "I, um, guess I just did."

Gina's head is spinning a hundred miles per hour. "_Why_?" she asks, and her voice goes up a notch.

Jake seems to think hard for a minute before answering her. "Look, just… just meet me at the auditorium after school today, okay?" he says. "I… I have business with you."

Gina is even more dumbfounded. "What do you want with me?" she asks.

"Just… just come," Jake says. "Please?" He looks nervous and weird at the same time.

Slowly, Gina nods. If Jake wants to meet up with her, then it is fine with her. Completely fine.

"Okay, um, see ya soon," he says, and he runs off before Gina could say another word.

Gina is at a loss for words. She doesn't know what to think. What does Jake want with her? Does he want to talk to her privately, so he can personally throw her whatever insult he's been keeping inside for days? Does he want to beat her up, lash out at her and threaten her never to embarrass him in public again? Does he want to intimidate her for hurting Marley? What does he want with her?

Gina feels herself shivering as she walks to her next class.

**Why is Jake calling Gina to the auditorium? What's he going to do to her?**


	16. Chapter 16

**This is kind of a lengthy chapter, but… yeah. I hope you'll enjoy it.**

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The door of the auditorium gives a little creak as Gina pushes it open. Her eyes are immediately drawn to the wide, black-tiled stage, where Jake is pacing back and forth. He stops when he sees her, and Gina freezes.

"You came," he says. Gina can't tell if he sounds relieved or disappointed.

She takes a deep breath before approaching the stage. "Look, Jake, before you beat the crap out of me, I just want you to know –"

Jake frowns. "Who ever said anything about beating you up?" he asks.

Gina hesitates. "So… you're… not going to yell at me?" she questions carefully. "Or threaten me or something?"

Jake gives a tiny chuckle. "No," he shakes his head. "You're crazy. Why would I do any of those to you?"

"Um, because I pretty much ruined everything for you," Gina points out. "Kind of… humiliated you socially, maybe even ruined your reputation. Messed up big time with your girlfriend, potentially destroying your chance of winning Regionals."

Jake scoffs and shakes his head again. "Nah, it's… it's cool," he says. "Although you did kind of do all of those to me."

Gina lowers her eyes. "Yep…" she mumbles.

Jake takes a deep breath. "I called you here today to tell you that nobody's blaming you," he says.

"Thanks for the assurance," Gina mutters. "Still a horrible person."

"It wasn't Ryder," Jake says, and Gina looks up at him in surprise. "It was Kitty."

Gina stands in silence for a long moment. "What?" she finally manages to squeak.

"It was Kitty," Jake repeats patiently. "The one who spread all the rumors about you, sending us that text? It was her all along. I should have known. We all should have."

"How… how did you know?"

"Ryder told me that Kitty might be up to something funny," Jake answers. "We did some serious interrogation, and… let me just say that she finally had no choice but to confess." He grins. "You should thank Ryder, though. He was the one who thought about the whole thing."

Gina is dumbstruck. Ryder did that for her?

"And I am here to personally apologize to you," Jake continues. "I know I've been quite a jerk to you. Ryder told me how you'd been kind of watching me for the past month or so, and I'm sorry that I have never even noticed you before. And, I'm sorry I accused you of hurting Marley. Guess I wasn't thinking much."

"No problem," Gina blurts out, feeling more like an idiot every second. Her mind races. She needs to talk to Ryder. She needs to explain, apologize. _Now_!

"I'm not mad at you anymore, or anything," Jake continues. He shrugs. "Actually, I think you're really cool. I mean, at first I thought you were a bitch, but after everything, especially that dance-off at Breadstix… I meant it when I said you were my new best friend. I really like you, Gina."

A lump forms in Gina's throat. "I'm glad you do," she says quietly.

"And the Glee club is sorry too," Jake says. "That's what we're here for. The Glee club wants to tell you we're sorry."

Gina is about to ask what exactly that means, when music suddenly starts playing. She hadn't noticed the band, which has been ready behind Jake all along. As soon as the music starts, Gina realizes what song this is – _Who You Are_, by Jessie J.

"_I stare at my reflection in the mirror: why am I doing this to myself?_

_Losing my mind on a tiny error, I nearly left the real me on the shelf, no, no, no, no…_"

One by one, the Glee club members appear from the two opposite doors of the auditorium. Tina appears first from the left door as she takes the first solo, followed by Artie and Sugar. Blaine and Brittany shows up from the right door, singing the next lines together.

"_Don't lose who you are, in the blur of the stars,_

_Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing, it's okay not to be okay…"_

Marley appears and sings the next line, a bright smile on her face.

"_Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart,_

_Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,_

_Just be true to who you are_."

Gina's knees start to tremble, but then Marley runs to the stage and gives her a long, big hug. Gina feels tears swell in her eyes as she grips Marley tight. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed her.

The other Glee club members join them on the stage, all singing and smiling at Gina. Some, like Unique and Brittany, even give her hugs. Sam and Blaine pat her on the shoulder, and everyone seems happy to have her back with them.

Finally, Ryder shows up last. He has that big, warm smile on his face that Gina grows to love as he sings in the chorus. He stands in front of Gina, and the other Glee clubbers make a circle around them.

"_Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,_

_Just be true to who you are! Yeaah, yeaah, yeaah…_"

The song ends, and everyone cheers.

"Wow," Gina breathes, suffocating herself with tears. "Um, that was… that was… awesome…"

"We want to tell you that we're sorry," Tina is the first one to speak. "I guess we judged you as a mean bitch who wanted to tear us apart."

"What Tina means is that we're terribly sorry," Blaine says. "We didn't realize that everything was just a trick. We're sorry we singled you out and made you feel horrible."

"We should have known it was all Kitty's doing," Tina adds.

"Um, yeah, where _is_ Kitty?" Gina asks, looking around for the sassy-mouthed blonde.

"Kicked her out of the group for a while," Jake says. "She'll be back, but we've given her a warning. Now everyone's avoiding _her_." He shrugs. "Anyways, we're sorry."

"It's okay," Gina smiles. She turns to Marley. "Actually, Marley, _I _should be the one apologizing to you. I –"

"Hey, it's okay," Marley grins. "I understand. And I'm sorry too for thinking of you as fake. That was… kind of mean." She spreads her arms for a hug. "Friends?"

"Friends," Gina laughs, and the two girls embrace.

After everyone has apologized, Gina's attention returns to Ryder. They stare at each other for a moment. Artie tells everyone to "spread out", and the rest of the Glee clubbers disappear almost as quickly as they had appeared. Marley gives Ryder and Gina one last lingering look before she walks out of the auditorium, with Jake's arm wrapped around her waist. She wants to stay; she wants to hear whatever conversation Ryder and Gina are going to have. What is this feeling that Marley has inside of her? Why is she so curious, and why does she feel an odd sense of pain as she leaves the auditorium? She should be happy that the two friends are reconciling. But why isn't she?

Marley would have stayed. No doubt. But Jake is pulling her away, and she has no choice but to leave them.

Soon, the auditorium is empty.

Now, it is only Gina and Ryder left.

**So… what's up with Marley, huh? ;)**


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Gina finds herself paralyzed as she stands before Ryder. They both give each other awkward smiles, but none makes the first attempt to speak. Ryder looks uncomfortable, and Gina is so nervous her hands are actually sweating.

Finally, Gina can't take it anymore. She _has_ to say something to him. "It was Kitty." She says. _Great. Way to go, genius_.

"I know," Ryder nods.

They stand in silence again.

"How… how _did _she find out?" Gina voices out the question that has been bugging her.

"Monday, when we were at the choir room," Ryder says. "We talked about it, remember? Turns out Kitty came back to get something she left from the choir room and overheard us. Sneaky devil, that one. It's a good thing Jake and I could push her enough to confess."

"Oh," is all Gina can say. She stares at Ryder, with his light brown hair, his squared-set jaw, his buff arms, and his tall figure. Gina wonders, not for the first time, how someone like Ryder could have such a big heart. He is a jock; a football player. He's supposed to be in one of those popular cliques who don't even _try _to be nice to other kids. He should be in the same social status as Kitty, and look how that turns out for her. But Ryder… he's different. Even from everyone else in Glee club, he's different from all of them. He has a kinder heart, a warmer personality and a positive attitude that just draw people in to him. The same heart, personality, and attitude that drew Gina to him.

"Oh, Ryder," Gina says. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I said. I'm sorry I accused you."

Gina's apology seems to break the ice between them, for Ryder suddenly smiles and steps forward. "Hey, hey, it's okay," he says. "It's okay…"

"No, it's not okay!" Gina says, and she can't hold it anymore. Her tears fall as she continues talking. "You were the first person who was ever nice to me. You didn't push me away or judge me like the others. You were the only person I could talk to, the one person I felt I could trust. I said I told you everything, but you told _me_ everything too. You trusted me too. Your love for Marley, your dyslexia, that mysterious online Katie girl… You were so kind to me, so awfully nice, and look how I repaid you!" She chokes for a few seconds. "You were my friend, and you were the best. You were there for me, and you helped me with… with settling in, and, and… and you defended me, back there with Kitty, and you helped me with Jake, and… and… gosh, Ryder, you were my best friend! I couldn't have survived without you… I'm… I'm so sorry, Ryder…"

She cries, and Ryder steps forward to hug her. She cries on his shoulder, while he rubs her back and tries to soothe her with words. "It's okay, I don't blame you, it's okay…" He sighs. "You were just scared, Gina," he whispers. "You were scared, and you were panicking. I totally get it. If I were you, I would blame me too. I mean, I was the only one who could have done it that time."

"But I should have trusted you when you said no," Gina says miserably. "I should have returned your calls. I should have replied your messages. I should have… I should have…"

"Hey, all in good time, right?" Ryder says, patting her head. "It's cool, Gina. I understand. And I don't blame you. It's okay, hey, hey, look at me… it's okay." He grins as he pulls away. "You've been kind of my best friend too," he admits. "I didn't want to lose you as a friend, and I felt really bad whenever I saw you. I really care about you, Gina. You should remember that there are people who truly care for you. Me, Marley, Jake, Mr. Schue, the Glee club… you have family here. Don't be afraid."

Gina's sobbing more quietly now. "Family," she repeats, as if it was a foreign word she is trying to speak for the first time.

"Yeah, family who will accept you for who you are," Ryder says. "You heard the song. It gets tough sometimes, being yourself. But you gotta remember who you really are, right? Glee club is where you can be yourself and feel good about it. They celebrate you for exactly who you are. Family."

"Who I am," Gina says numbly, more to herself than to Ryder. "Who I am…"

"Who you are," Ryder agrees. "With or without the sassy attitude. Whichever works best for you."

Gina takes a long, deep breath. "Ryder, can we… can we sit down for a while?" she says.

"Sure," Ryder starts leading Gina to the rows of seats, but Gina stops him. "The floor will be fine," she says.

So they sit down on the stage, feet dangling over the edge, overlooking the rows of empty chairs and darkness that looms over the back rows. Gina imagines what the auditorium might look like if it was packed with audience – it must be a beautiful sight.

"What is it that you want to talk to me about?" Ryder asks.

Gina smiles weakly. "Now I'm completely convinced that you are a mind reader," she says. "You asked me once, what was with my attitude. Well… I'm going to give you the answer now. I'm going to make a confession to you now, Ryder. So listen up."

**What confession is Gina going to make to Ryder?**


	18. Chapter 18

**Here it goes: all of Gina's secrets finally revealed!**

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"Oh-kay," Ryder says, frowning a little. "This is clearly going to be a very serious conversation. Proceed."

Honestly, Gina doesn't know where to start. She hadn't really planned this conversation, and she is clueless as to what she should say first. She takes a long, deep breath, and tries to calm her mind down.

"Back in Indonesia," she begins, "I wasn't always this sarcastic. Not always this mean, or bitchy, or whatever you want to call it. I was… actually kind of shy."

Ryder gives her a look and raises his eyebrow. "All right, all right," Gina scowls. "I was _very_ shy." She hesitates for a moment. "I was that kid in the background, the kid no one really notices. The one that never spoke, the one that never participated in anything. I didn't really have friends. I had these big glasses on, real dorky, and everyone thought I was the big nerd of the class. To make a long story short, I was target practice for the bullies in my school."

She grimaces as the memories of her junior years rewind themselves in her head. "People would trip me or steal my books and call me names. They would push me around, hide my bag, even hide my glasses one day. I was pretty much miserable. I couldn't stand up for myself. I was too much of a chicken to even defend myself. I was lame, I was the loser, and I was the one everyone made fun of."

She glances at Ryder for a moment to check his expression, but he keeps his face blank. She knows that he's listening to her, though. Really listening. So she goes on.

"Um, Kitty _was_ right about one rumor, though," she says. "As much as I hate saying this. She was right about me… not being the leader of my choir group."

At this, Ryder frowns. He is about to ask questions when Gina quickly says, "I was not even in the choir group at first. I mean, I've always loved to sing and dance, but I didn't show it to anybody." She clears her throat. "I… I didn't have the guts to even try out for the choir group. I had this song prepared and all, told myself I would do it, but I just couldn't. But one day, I was singing in the bathroom, and one of the members of the choir group heard me. She asked me to help them out, because one of their members was sick and they had no substitute for a competition next week. By some sheer dumb luck, I found myself joining the choir group, and entering my first ever competition."

Gina laughs at the memory. "Imagine how I felt that night, when the competition started. I was sweating like crazy, and I almost fainted onstage. But I just… I don't know, I guess I just forced myself to do what I had to, and by some miracle, it all turned out all right. And we won." She smiles. "We won, just like that. I was thrilled, happy beyond belief." She sighs. "After that, everything just fell into place. The choir group accepted me as one of their members. They were really nice to me, all of them. They became my friends, my family. I joined in more competitions, and my confidence started to grow. I was starting to believe in myself. I was advancing, too. I wanted to become the leader, so I could get a solo, and I was halfway there when, boom, my family decided to move to the US."

Her eyes travel along the dimly lit auditorium. Her memory travels back to two years ago; she was in a similar auditorium, only that time the place was packed with audience. The air was cold and the polished floor seemed to glow as she and her choir group stepped into the middle of the stage. The music started playing, and they started swaying, and Gina could feel happiness swelling inside of her. Then they started to open their mouths, and –

"When I got here for the first time, I felt completely lost. No friends, no relatives, with a completely different surrounding. But I knew one thing: that here, in a place where I could start all over again, where I could be whoever I wanted myself to be, I would not let myself be trampled or bullied by anyone. I promised myself that in here, in Ohio, I would _not_ let anyone call me names, or degrade me, or push me around, or hide my things. I would not let people torture me again. And I promised myself that I would turn myself into someone confident, strong, and fearless. At least that way, I thought I would survive longer in this place. That I would be left alone. So… I shielded myself with the sassy attitude." She shrugs. "Thought it would save my life."

There is a moment of silence as Gina finishes her story and Ryder thinks it over in his mind. He looks so serious, Gina is almost intimidated by him.

Finally, he speaks. "You have confidence issues," he concludes. "Just like Marley. You never feel that you're good enough for something. You always think that other people are better than you, and you're just a pathetic loser."

"Are you done with the psycho-analysis? Cause I'm starting to feel a little crazy here…"

Ryder smiles. He takes both of Gina's hands in his and stares right into her eyes. "Gina, listen to me," he says. "You're amazing. You're talented. You're beautiful. Gina, you have _everything_. You're a wonderful singer and dancer, and you're also very smart. People degrade you because you degrade yourself, Gina. Listen, listen," he shifts his seat so he's closer to her. "There are _always_ people who are better than you. But what you need to remember is that everyone's unique. You can do things that some people can't, right? You have your own special thing, the one thing that makes you Gina. If you don't even believe in yourself, then how are other people going to respect you?" He smiles. "Don't look at the things that you _can't_ do, but focus on the things that you _can_ do. You gotta remember that. That's the important thing. You are you, and no one can take it away from you. You're unique. You're special. And there's nothing to be ashamed of in being yourself. You get that?"

Slowly, deliberately, Gina nods.

"There will _always_ be people who want to bring you down," he continues. "Always. Doesn't matter where you are. Indonesia, Lima, wherever you are, people will always try to find a way to make you feel bad about yourself. But the important thing is, you know how to handle them. You know how to stay strong. You know how to ignore them and just… be yourself. You _have_ to remember that, Gina. Life's too short to be someone else. You have to be yourself, and be proud of it."

Ryder smiles and ruffles her hair. "Especially in Glee club. That's the one place where you can be whoever you want to be, and everyone's going to be okay with it. Well, maybe not _everyone_, but… well… you, you know… you know what I mean, right?"

Gina laughs out loud, and it feels good. It feels right, laughing and talking here with Ryder, the only person she can really talk to. Her best friend. Her new best friend in this new, estranged world.

"You're such an idiot, Ryder," she says. "But… thank you."

Ryder pulls her into a hug. "Aww," Gina says. "I love you, Elmo. You're the best friend ever."

"Right back at you, G," Ryder chuckles.

They pull away and stare at each other, smiling.

"Now what?"

**I hope you like Gina as a character. I tried to make a background story for her and why she acted all crazy and angry when she first came. It's not a very controversial or jaw-dropping secret, but that's all I could think of.**

**Also, are you interested in reading about Gina, Ryder, Marley, and Jake again in the future? If people are interested I might have another story up my sleeve. Please share your opinions! Thank you!**


	19. Chapter 19

**The last chapter is finally here! I couldn't get this song out of my head and I love the lyrics so I had to use it.**

CHAPTER NINETEEN

First, the guitar. Then, the soft taps of a tambourine.

Gina stands in a wooden stool, singing while tapping her knee.

"_Da da ra da, da, da, da ra da_

_Da da ra da, da, da, da ra da…"_

Ryder pulls in a chair and sits next to Gina, grinning as he takes the first solo.

"_I'm as happy as I can be, cause I'm allergic to tragedy_

_The doctor says something's wrong with me,_

_The smile on my face has no remedy…"_

The Glee clubbers sway along with Gina and Ryder as their voices blend in to form the chorus of Ricky Martin and Joss Stone's _The Best Thing About Me Is You_.

"_So baby, don't say no, come on and just say yes,_

_You know it's time to keep it simple,_

_Let's take a chance and hope for the best_

_Life is short, so make it what you wanna,_

_Make it good don't wait until manana_

_I think I'm cool cause your name's on this heart shaped tattoo,_

_Now the best thing about me is you, oooh…_"

Gina stands up from her stool and walks around the choir room, hugging everyone, as she continues singing.

"_My crying days are now history,_

_I had a change of philosophy,_

_I take each day as it comes to me_

_And I won't take myself all that seriously,_

_So babe, don't say no… come on and just say yes…"_

She gives Marley a long, tight hug, and the two girls giggle. She hugs Jake, nods at Unique, wraps her arms around Tina and Blaine, and gives Artie a kiss on the cheek. She smiles and nods at Mr. Schuester, who pats her on the shoulder.

"_Life is short, so make it what you wanna,_

_Make it good, don't wait until manana…"_

She walks back to Ryder, returns to her stool, and the two of them sing the rest of the song together.

"_Don't say no, come on and just say yes,_

_You know it's time to keep it simple…"_

The whole Glee club is singing along now, the band playing, everyone swaying and humming to the music. Brittany takes Sam's hands and does a little dance around the piano. Blaine and Tina join in, the two couples moving around Gina and Ryder. Sugar wheels Artie forward and the two of them do funny little dance moves. Jake takes Marley's hands and the two of them dance along with the other Glee clubbers. Unique and Joe move to stand behind Gina and Ryder.

"_The best thing about me is you…"_

Gina and Ryder finish the song, and the entire room breaks into applause. Everyone gathers round for a big group hug. Gina and Ryder sit side by side, grinning at each other. Harmony and peace is once again restored in Glee club.

That's a good way to end a story.

**Thank you so much for those who have read, followed, favorited, and reviewed my story! I really appreciate all of your comments, opinions, and revisions. Special thanks to:**

**Astrita15,**

**KlaineForeverLover07, **

**Gleeotch13, **

** .35, **

**XxXYoulovemeanywaysXxX,**

**ChuckNutz,**

**Rachiepops123, **

**so many guests and everyone else for the continual reviews, suggestions, and opinions.**

**Thank you for everyone who favorited my story, followed it, and read it. Thank you for the kind words, and spending time to check it out! I apologize for any mistakes or disappointments. Hehe. I hope the story is a good one and I'll make a Glee fanfic again in the future. **** Thank you once again!**


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